Published October 4, 2026 in Market Update

Peabody prices eased a little, but competition did not

By Cynthia Nina-Soto | Nina-Soto Realty

Real estate, Peabody (SF)

The headline number moved down. Everything else says buyers are still competing hard. That is the one thing every Peabody homeowner and buyer should hold onto right now.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted a median sale price of $678,750 in ZIP 01960 for the three months ending July 31, 2026. That is down 2.3% from the same months in 2025. A small step back, not a slide.

For sellers, that dip matters. But it does not tell the whole story. The market is still active, and pricing well still pays off.

Buyers are still going over list

The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that 62.9% of Peabody homes sold above list price in those same three months. That share actually crept up 0.8 points from a year before. A lower median price did not mean less competition.

The average sale came in at 102.7% of list price, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That is up 0.1 points from a year ago. Sellers who priced right were still getting more than they asked.

Homes moved fast, and more of them sold

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 116 homes sold in ZIP 01960, up 12.6% from the same three months in 2025. More homes changed hands, even as the median price eased. That is a sign of a market working, not stalling.

The median home sat on the market just 20 days. That is only one day longer than a year ago. Buyers did not have much time to think.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator also found that 72.8% of homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. That share slipped 3.9 points from a year before, so a few more homes are taking a little longer. But nearly 3 in 4 still went fast.

More listings came to market

The Real Estate Data Aggregator recorded 146 new listings in ZIP 01960 during those three months, up 15% from a year ago. Homes for sale also rose, up 25% to 55 active listings. More choices for buyers, but supply is still tight at 1.5 months.

Rates are making it harder for buyers nationally

Mortgage rates are not helping. CNBC reported the average 30-year fixed rate on conforming loans rose to 7.30% as of September 30, 2026. Mortgage News Daily put it even higher, at 7.58% that same week. Realtor.com noted rates topped 7% for the first time since January 2025.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. home prices were still up 2.6% year over year through July 2026. Peabody's 2.3% dip runs against that national current. That is worth knowing if you are comparing markets.

Nationally, Realtor.com found that 20.8% of listings had a price cut in September 2026, the highest share since October 2022. That trend has not shown up in Peabody's above-list sales rate, but it is something sellers here should watch.

What this means for you

These numbers cover all of ZIP 01960. One street can read very differently from the whole ZIP code. A block with older housing stock, a historic overlay, or a different mix of buyers can move faster or slower than the median.